These are some of the most shocking cases which have been heard by the courts over the past year
From L to R: Tom Walsh, Rebecca Joynes and John Roberts(Image: Merseyside Police/Greater Manchester Police)
A cheerleading coach, a teacher and a police officer were unmasked as paedophiles and sex offenders during 2024. Also brought to justice last year was a paedophile vicar who “used God to hide the monster he is”.
A bus driver was also jailed after sexually assaulting a teenager who had fallen asleep on the last service home, while another pervert paid kids to kick him in the testicles. A man drove more than 200 miles and withdrew £1,000 from his bank account as part of a sinister plot to sexually abuse young boys. These are some of the most shocking sex offences cases heard by the courts during 2024:
READ MORE: The face of every Merseyside criminal jailed in 2024READ MORE: 7 of the most high profile trials due to take place at Liverpool Crown Court in 2025
Stephen Finnigan
Stephen Finnigan, 63, of Longfield Road, Litherland was sentenced to 29 years and six months behind bars(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile army cadet instructor sexually abused five children over a number of decades. Stephen Finnigan was convicted of sexual offences following a two-week trial and was jailed for 29-and-a-half years.
Saidi Hussain
Saidi Hussain(Image: Merseyside Police)
A teenage girl was raped in a newsagents after being lured into a back room by a shop worker who had promised her cigarettes. Saidi Hussain was found guilty of two counts of rape and one of sexual assault and was jailed for nine years.
Tom Walsh
Tom Walsh was a cheerleader coach for a number of years(Image: Supplied)
A cheerleading coach used his job and Snapchat to abuse young girls and collect a vile stash of child abuse images. Tom Walsh was convicted of multiple counts of sexual abuse against three girls, as well as possession and distribution of child abuse images, and was sentenced to 15 years in jail plus a further five years on licence.
Nathan Bake
Nathan Bake, 28, of Harrow Drive, Runcorn (Image: National Crime Agency )
A mechanic who moderated a dark web site dedicated to child sexual abuse encouraged users to share sick images as part of a “happy hour”. Nathan Bake was one of three UK-based moderators of a site called The Annex, a website with around 90,000 members which was devoted to extreme abuse.
Described as being the second-in-command of the entire page, which was run by an American man who was sentenced to life in prison, the 28-year-old pleaded guilty to participating in an organised crime group, three counts of facilitating child sexual exploitation, two counts of distributing indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent images of children, possession of a paedophile manual, possession of prohibited images of children and possession of extreme pornography. Bake was jailed for 16 years.
Gary Campbell
Gary Campbell(Image: Cheshire Police)
A pervert drove more than 200 miles and withdrew £1,000 from his bank account as part of a sinister plot to sexually abuse young boys. Gary Campbell paid the primary school aged children to kick him in the testicles before sexually abusing them and taking lewd pictures of them in a bush.
The married man then claimed he had merely been in the area as he was helping a friend to redecorate his house. Campbell admitted four counts of paying for sexual services with a child, six charges of sexual assault of a child, two of assault by penetration, six counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two charges of causing a child to watch a sexual act, taking indecent images of children and possession of indecent images and was jailed for nine years and handed an additional five years on licence.
Michael Smith
Michael Smith(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile bought a girl clothes with his credit card before repeatedly raping her. Michael Smith subjected his victim to a catalogue of sickening sexual abuse over the course of several years.
He was found guilty of 20 child sexual offences, including rape, by a jury. He was jailed for 22 years, a term of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release on parole, and handed an additional 12 months on licence.
Bilal Azzi and Tayeb Battaher
Billal Azzi(Image: Merseyside Police)
Two men found a missing child near to a McDonald’s then plied her with drink and drugs before having sex with her. Bilal Azzi and Tayeb Battaher approached the girl in the street and asked “if she was ok”, but then put their sinister plot into effect.
Tayeb Battaher, also known as Amime Berhe(Image: Merseyside Police)
The teenager was eventually found by the police after two women on a hen do spotted her “looking sad and afraid” in a takeaway and recognised her from a missing persons appeal. Both men were convicted of engaging in sexual activity with a child by a jury, while Azzi was also found guilty of taking indecent images of a child.
Appearing remotely from HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for six-and-a-half years. Seated beside him in the video link booth, Battaher put his head in his heads as he was locked up for five-and-a-half years.
Martin Marko
Martin Marko, 35, of Seaforth Road, Seaforth, Liverpool(Image: Merseyside police)
An “abusive and possessive” sexual predator put a woman through a horrific ordeal after locking her in his flat. Martin Marko subjected the terrified woman to hours of horrific abuse after imprisoning her.
From 3am until 9am, he threatened to kill her, forced her to strip, sexually assaulted her, brandished a kitchen knife in her face and beat her with a shoe. The 35-year-old also choked her, punched her, and threw a bowl full of urine at her.
The prolonged attack was caught on CCTV, in which the woman could be seen cowering and falling to her knees with her hands in a praying position as she begged for her life. On two occasions, she attempted to escape by climbing out of the first-storey window.
Marko pleaded guilty to sexual assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and making threats to kill. He was jailed for nine years and handed an additional three years on licence.
James Blundell
James Blundell(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile took boys to McDonald’s and Cheshire Oaks before subjecting them to sickening abuse. James Blundell embarked upon a depraved campaign of rape and sexual assaults after grooming his victims with cash and sweets.
He was said to have had a “long standing sexual interest in children”, which a judge said had led to a catalogue of “predatory sexual behaviour”. Blundell admitted three counts of rape, two charges of attempted rape, three offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, three counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, engaging in sexual communications with a child, possession of indecent images of children, making indecent images of children, possession of an extreme pornographic image and two charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and was jailed for 14 years and five months and handed an additional five years on licence.
Scott Geraghty and Chloe Dixon
Scott Geraghty, 31, of News Lane, Rainford and Chloe Dixon, 26, of News Lane, Rainford(Image: Merseyside Police )
A couple sexually abused a teenage girl during depraved games of “spin the bottle” and “truth or dare”. Chloe Dixon and Scott Geraghty plied the girl with peach schnapps and vodka during a party before daring her to perform sexual acts.
Geraghty was convicted of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. He was jailed for 11-and-a-half years.
Dixon was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, engaging in sexual communications with a child and possession of indecent images of children. She was handed nine-and-a-half years.
Alex Belay
Alex Belay(Image: Merseyside Police)
A grandma was raped at knifepoint by a man she had met at the bus stop. Alex Belay appeared to be a “nice lad”, and the nan agreed to go back to his flat in the belief that she had missed the last bus home.
But he instead snatched her phone from her as she spoke to her son, held a knife to her stomach and throat and subjected her to a horrific sexual assault. She was left “genuinely believing” she was going to die during the attack.
A remorseless Belay then “smirked” after finally bringing the ordeal to an end. The 26-year-old was found guilty of rape by a jury and was jailed for 12 years, a term of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release.
Raymond Hawthorne
Raymond Hawthorne(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile gave a boy Pot Noodles laced with drugs before sexually abusing him. Raymond Hawthorne subjected two children to sickening campaigns of assault and rape.
He lavished one of the youngsters with expensive gifts, including trainers and a bike, as he exploited him for his own twisted desires. Hawthorne was found guilty of two counts of rape, 10 charges of indecent assault and two offences of gross indecency with a child by a jury and was jailed for 27 years, a term of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release, and handed an additional eight years on licence.
Charles Thompson
Charles Thompson(Image: Merseyside Police)
A convicted paedophile infiltrated a theatre group before developing an “obsession” with a child actor. Charles Thompson made a collage of pictures of the teenage girl after downloading the images from her Facebook page and suggested that they play roles which would see them portraying a couple on stage, despite their 30-year age difference.
He also suggested that he “join her” in bed and admitted that his “new year’s resolution to give her up” would be doomed to failure as he could not stop “daydreaming” about her. Thompson admitted two counts of breaching a sexual offences prevention order and was jailed for two years.
Damien Doyle
Damien Doyle(Image: Merseyside Police)
A bus driver sexually assaulted a teenager who had fallen asleep on the last service home. Damien Doyle offered the girl a lift when she was left stranded at the depot late at night with no money.
But he instead seized on the opportunity by locking her in his car and exploiting her after remarking “I bet you get really horny when you’re drunk”. Doyle was found guilty of one count of sexual assault by a jury and was jailed for two years.
Anthony Morrissey
Anthony Morrissey(Image: Merseyside Police)
A window cleaner showed a girl adult films on Pornhub then raped her. Anthony Morrissey subjected the youngster to a catalogue of sexual abuse then told her to “keep everything secret”.
He was found guilty of rape, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and causing a child to watch sexual activity by a jury following a trial. He stood shaking his head as he was handed 13 years behind bars plus an additional year on licence, then waved to his supporters in the public gallery as he was led down to the cells.
John Roberts
John Roberts(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile vicar who “used God to hide the monster he is” could spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of sexual offences against a fifth victim. John Roberts was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault following a trial, which heard that he “misused the power and authority of his position to carry out acts of sexual abuse” while serving as a priest at St Peter’s Church in St Helens during the 1970s.
The now 89-year-old attempted to grope the boy in the vicarage and during a trip away. He was handed three years behind bars, a term which will be served consecutively to a nine-year sentence imposed upon him in 2020 for similar offending.
Paul Lawrinson
Paul Lawrinson(Image: Cheshire Police)
A paedophile met a boy on Grindr then raped him in his car and “rewarded” him with cash and vapes. Paul Lawrinson twice met up with his victim in a park in order to sexually abuse him.
He admitted rape of a child under 13 and sexual assault of a child under 13. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 64 months and handed an additional year on licence.
Andrew Peel
Andrew Peel(Image: Merseyside Police)
A pervert sexually assaulted a teenage girl at a Premier Inn then claimed to be suffering from “sexsomnia”. Andrew Peel preyed upon his victim after she had passed out through drinking.
He then conjured up a “cowardly and pathetic excuse for his abhorrent behaviour”, alleging that he had effectively been sleepwalking at the time of the incident. Peel was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
Sidharth Nair
Sidharth Nair(Image: Merseyside Police)
A Whiston Hospital staff member raped and sexually assaulted a patient in her bed. Sidharth Nair had worked at the site for only a matter of weeks before he subjected his victim to a series of outrageous and “predatory” attacks “for his own sexual gratification”.
The vile rapist even had sex with her against her will, having told her “you won’t see me again, it doesn’t matter”. He admitted rape, assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault and appeared to be in tears and sobbing as he was jailed for 13 years.
Momoh-Jimoh Musari
Momoh-Jimoh Musari(Image: Merseyside Police)
A vile rapist pretended to come to the aid of a woman he found stranded at a bus stop in the early hours but instead sexually abused her. Momoh-Jimoh Musari’s victim blacked out after he gave her a glass of milk, having lured her back to his flat when she was left alone with no phone or bank card following a night out in Liverpool city centre.
He tearfully pleaded “I’m innocent your honour” as he was locked up over the horrific attack. Musari was convicted of rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault by a jury following a trial and was jailed for 12 years.
William Strowbridge
William Strowbridge(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile compared his collection of nearly 350,000 indecent images of children to a “piece of stolen art”. William Strowbridge spent 14 years hoarding a staggering amount of vile pictures and videos showing kids aged as young as three being raped.
After being caught red handed, the grandad told the police that he had merely “stumbled across” such materials and found them “addictive”. But he later admitted possession of indecent images of children and three counts of making indecent images and was jailed for 18 months.
Kevin Perry
Kevin Perry(Image: Merseyside Police)
A childminder has been unmasked as a predatory paedophile. Kevin Perry bribed his victim with gifts and trips to concerts as he sexually abused her at a beach and raped her while she was in tears.
He was unanimously convicted of two counts of rape and 13 charges of indecent assault by a jury. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 20 years.
Rebecca Joynes
Rebecca Joynes
A teacher who was found guilty of having sex with two pupils has been jailed. Rebecca Joynes, of Pensby Road in Thingwall, Wirral, groomed one boy with a shopping trip to the Trafford Centre before taking him back to her apartment and having sex with him when he was 15.
The 30-year-old then fell pregnant with another teenage student. She denied four counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust but was found guilty by a jury following a trial and was handed six-and-a-half years behind bars.
Stephen Godridge
Stephen Godridge(Image: Greater Manchester Police)
A former police special constable remained emotionless as he was jailed for life for raping a teenage girl in his car. Stephen Godridge groomed his victim over Snapchat before sexually abusing her.
The 31-year-old had only been released from prison months beforehand, after he had exploited two other youngsters in strikingly similar circumstances. He was found guilty of two counts of rape, sexual assault, two charges of assault by penetration and breaching a sexual harm prevention order by a jury following a trial and was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months.
Kevin Knox
Kevin Knox(Image: Merseyside Police)
A woman recognised her rapist and “took matters into her own hands” in order to bring him to justice. Kevin Knox spiked his victim’s drink with sleeping tablets before sexually abusing her as she lay powerless to resist in her own bed.
Months later, the 33-year-old attempted to attack her again in an almost identical manner. But the quick-thinking complainant rumbled his depraved plot and swapped their drinks around, meaning that he “ended up essentially drugging himself”.
Knox was found guilty of three counts of rape and one of burglary by a jury. He was jailed for 12 years, of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release, and handed an additional two years on licence.
Mark Smith
Mark Smith(Image: Merseyside Police)
A former police officer urged a “dad” to sexually abuse his own child and told him “you are on an amazing journey with your daughter”. Mark Smith begged the supposed father to engage in a catalogue of sickening sex acts with the 10-year-old girl while he watched on a video call.
But, unbeknown to him, he was actually being ensnared in an undercover sting. The 52-year-old, who went on to engage in explicit chats with decoy accounts posing as 13-year-old girls on Snapchat, later dismissed his perverted behaviour as “sexual banter” which he claimed was as a result of “boredom” following his retirement from the force.
Smith admitted two counts of encouraging a child sex offence, three charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, two offences of attempted sexual communications with a child, two counts of distributing indecent images of children. Appearing in the dock wearing a navy blue suit and tie over a white shirt and sporting receding grey hair and a beard, he was jailed for 28 months.
Stephen Crosby
Stephen Crosby(Image: Merseyside Police)
A disgraced doctor who was caught performing a sex act at the back of a bus shook his head as he was locked up. Former GP Stephen Crosby has been imprisoned twice previously for sexually assaulting scores of his own patients.
And the 71-year-old is now back behind bars after sitting beside a teenager on public transport and brazenly carrying out a sex act. Despite being left feeling “appalled” and “trapped”, it was her quick-thinking that ultimately saw the serial sex offender brought to justice once more.
Crosby was found guilty of outraging public decency by a jury following a trial. He was jailed for 18 months.
Chrosphero Caballero
Chrosphero Caballero(Image: Merseyside Police)
A “trusted and skilled” masseuse was unmasked as a “sexual predator”. Chrosphero Caballero, sports massage business, was locked up after sexually assaulting a number of his clients over the course of several years.
He was said to have “built up their confidence” in his professional abilities before cynically abusing them. A judge told the 38-year-old that he had hidden “another side” of his character away from his public persona.
Caballero was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault by a jury. Wearing a blue suit jacket over a white shirt in the dock, he waved to a supporter in the public gallery as he was led down to the cells after being jailed for four years.
Rahmijah Hindes
Rahmijah Hindes
A prison inmate raped a fellow convicted sex offender after telling him he “wanted him to feel like his victims felt”. Rahmijah Hindes had been serving a sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl as she walked home from a chip shop when he committed the brutal attack on his cellmate.
It came after the 24-year-old had apparently become disgruntled that the two men were being forced to share a room. He was mere months away from being released from jail at the time of the incident.
Hindes admitted one count of rape. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was handed six years and three months – of which he must serve at least two thirds behind bars before becoming eligible for release – and handed an additional five years on licence.
Robert Collins
Former art teacher Robert Collins, 39, of Banks Road, Southport(Image: Merseyside police)
A disgraced teacher sent pictures of his genitals to teenage girls and begged them for indecent photographs after targeting them online. Robert Collins was the head of art at Formby High School when he sent perverted messages to several young girls over a period of four years.
His offending was discovered in June 2023 when the 39-year-old sent online messages to what he believed was a 12-year-old girl. He told the youngster, who was really an undercover police officer, he was a teacher and asked her “what’s the naughtiest thing you’ve done?”.
Collins pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual communications with a child, four counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one count of possession of indecent images of children. He was sentenced to a total of two years and six months in prison.
Graham Goodchild
Graham Goodchild, of Firtree Way, Southampton(Image: Merseyside police)
A former Alder Hey Children’s Hospital worker abused his trusted position to groom and sexually assault young boys in his care. Graham Goodchild sexually abused four boys while working as a night superintendent at the hospital in the 1960s and 70s, assaulting one youngster as he lay helpless in his hospital bed.
The majority of the sexual assaults occurred at the victims’ houses or at Goodchild’s own home in Merseyside, as well as during day trips to parks. One boy was even abused at the hospital itself.
Goodchild was found guilty of 17 counts of sexual assault and an attempted sexual assault following a trial earlier this year. The now 81-year-old was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Brian McCoy
Brian McCoy(Image: Merseyside Police)
A convicted rapist “wormed his way” into a struggling mum’s life by posing as a kind-hearted community volunteer before sexually abusing her daughter. Brian McCoy, who has been jailed twice previously for sexual offences, befriended the mother while she was struggling to feed her child.
He then went on to take the family out for meals and day trips and even offered his home to them. But, unbeknown to her, the “monster” was secretly taking advantage of the situation by repeatedly indecently assaulting the youngster.
The 64-year-old admitted three counts of sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and failing to comply with notification requirements. He was jailed for six years, of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release, and an additional four years on licence.
Darren Barr
Darren Barr(Image: Merseyside Police)
A vile predator pretended to come to the aid of women in distress but instead sexually assaulted them. One of Darren Barr’s victims had accidentally locked herself out of her house after returning home from a party when he targeted her.
Five years later, he struck again – this time subjecting a suicidal woman to a “nightmare ordeal” after promising her that she could wait for a taxi in the supposed safety of his home. The pervert shook his head as he was locked up for his sickening crimes.
Barr was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and intentional strangulation in relation to the second incident, having admitted a further charge of sexual assault concerning this attack and another two offences of sexual assault concerning his first victim. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for nine years.
Alexander Kerr
Alexander Kerr(Image: Cheshire Police)
A pervert spent years secretly filming women and children in states of undress. Alexander Kerr surreptitiously videoed young girls playing in their swimming costumes and changing out of their school uniforms.
He also spied on a woman in her lingerie through her window while she undressed in the privacy of her flat. His sick crimes continued even after the police came knocking at his door and discovered his vile stash of hundreds of indecent images of children.
Kerr admitted two counts of voyeurism, two charges of taking indecent images of children, two offences of possession of indecent images, nine of making indecent images, possession of prohibited images of children and possession of extreme pornographic images. He showed no reaction as he was jailed for 32 months, handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
Ali Alduhlaimi
Ali Alduhlaimi(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile spent nearly 10 years on the run outside of the UK after fleeing to Yemen when his crimes first came to light. But Ali Alduhlaimi has now finally been brought to justice, having returned to this country when he wrongly “thought that the coast was clear”.
It came after the vile sex offender subjected a girl to a sickening campaign of rape and abuse when she was aged as young as four. He remains remorseless for his actions however and sat emotionless in the dock as he was handed a huge prison sentence.
Alduhlaimi was convicted of two counts of rape, sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to watch sexual activity by a jury following a trial. Assisted by an interpreter in court, he showed no emotion and sat with his arms folded as he was jailed for 21 years and handed an additional year on licence.
Fitwi Tekeste
Fitwi Tekeste, 29, of Park Road in Toxteth(Image: Merseyside Police)
A teenager believed that she was getting into an Uber to take her to McDonald’s but was instead abducted and sexually assaulted. Fitwi Tekeste spotted his victim alone in Liverpool city centre in the early hours after she had enjoyed a night out with friends.
The restaurant worker then convinced her that he was her taxi driver and lured her into his car under this false pretence. She was subsequently subjected to a “nightmare” ordeal over the course of nearly two hours as she was driven down the M62 and abused.
Tekeste admitted one count sexual assault, with a further count of kidnap being ordered to lie on the file. Appearing in the dock wearing a grey prison issue tracksuit and assisted by an interpreter, he was jailed for 45 months.
Brian Sheridan
Brian Sheridan(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile is expecting to die in prison after subjecting a young girl to years of abuse. Brian Sheridan paid his victim to perform vile acts and forced her to have sex with another man.
The pensioner was also said to have exhibited an array of sickening behaviour towards other children, including encouraging them to dress in “sexualised costumes”. A judge told him that he had shown “no shred of regret, remorse or empathy”.
Sheridan was convicted of a total of 18 child sex offences by a jury. Appearing in the dock wearing a black Adidas coat over a beige cardigan and sporting glasses and white hair, he was jailed for 16 years and handed an additional year on licence.
Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson(Image: Merseyside Police)
A serial rapist who sexually abused three women remained emotionless as he was put behind bars for decades. Paul Wilson repeatedly raped one woman over the course of years then targeted a second victim as she slept.
He also subjected another complainant to a further horrific sex attack until she was able to fight him off with a candle. When asked why he had assaulted her, the dad-of-two replied: “Because my head’s up my a**e.”
Wilson was found guilty of offences including four counts of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm by a jury following two trials. He showed no reaction in the dock as he was jailed for 21 years and handed an additional five years on licence.
Carl McConville
Carl McConville(Image: Merseyside Police)
A vile sex offender invited young girls to play on his PlayStation but had much more sinister “games” in mind. Carl McConville raped and abused a total of four victims when he was a teenager.
Now, years later, he has finally been brought to justice and exposed as “vindictive monster” and a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. The dad-of-three hung his head in shame as he was locked up for his appalling crimes.
McConville was found guilty of a total of 18 sexual offences. He was jailed for a total of nine years, reduced from what would otherwise have been a 17-year term due to his age at the time of his crimes.